“Such a charming city as Porto Alegre, with its serene lake framed with hills has the body of a metropolis, the cosmopolitan spirit and soul of a province.
It has been compared to a set of ten of the most beautiful cities in the world,
according to what was said by our dear writer Erico Verissimo in his chronicle “City of The Sunsets”.
A turkish man, when visiting the city, said : “Istanbul”.
A North American businessman had compared the city to Seattle and Verissimo himself has judged it as the sister city of San Francisco, California.”

Porto Alegre is the capital of Rio Grande do Sul state located in the extreme south of Brazil, 2111km from Brasilia. It is the largest metropolitan region in the south of the country with approximately 4.1 million inhabitants. The gaucho capital population is 1.42 million and its size is of 470.25 square kilometers including 16 islands of the Guaiba River.

It has a temperate climate, sub tropical, with hot summers and cold rainy winters. Porto Alegre is one of the most arborous cities in the country, allocating 17 square meters of green area for each inhabitant.
It is a strategic point inside the Mercosul, geographical center of the main
routes of Conesul(south cone) being one of the 24 cities with the greatest potential for attracting world investments.

Among the main tourist attractions of the city is the “Laçador”(Lassoer) statue, expressive symbol of gaucho hospitality in the entrance to the city.
The old Power Station of Gazometro(Uzina do Gazômetro), The Public
Market and the Guaiba River sunset among many others, are highlights of Porto Alegre tourism.

The main parks in Porto Alegre, are Park Moinhos de Vento(windmills)
known as “Parcão”, The Farroupilha Park, also called Redenção and Park
Marinha do Brasil. Their large green areas are frequently visited by residents and tourists for walking, jogging and leisure. The famous “Chimarrão” (the gaucho erva-mate tea), shared among friends, is always present, keeping alive the gaucho people’s tradition.

The City Hall of Porto Alegre offers a tour bus line with an itinerary to the main tourist attractions of the city. The trip in this two level bus, with its open roof, is about 80 minutes long and has a specialized tourist guide with an audio system in three languages: Portuguese, English and Spanish.
The city of Porto Alegre can also be viewed from the nautical tours on the Guaiba River on such boats as The White Swan and Bride Cai.

Porto Alegre has a hotel network of top quality, an international airport, while also offering many theatres, night clubs, movie theatres, bars, bistros, coffee shops. In addition one will find excellent shopping centers and diversified gastronomy of high quality. At Moinhos de Vento(windmills) Quarter the sophisticated “Calçada da Fama” (Fame Sidewalk) on Fernando Gomes street, well known for its bars and restaurants is where many of the  beautiful people can be seen.

The churrasco(barbecue) a typical food, is served in countless churrascarias. Some of them have shows of the traditional gaucho dances, giving to the visitor a little of  the rich culture and gaucho folklore, and most of all the joy, of this charming city of such a hospitable people!

Hotel Sheraton Porto Alegre

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